DraftKings Golf Picks and Fades: 2020 WGC- Mexico Championship

Break out the tequila boys! This week we are heading to Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico for a WGC event. This week will feature 64 of the top golfers in the world in a no cut event.

Club de Golf Chapultepec is known for its crazy elevation which will cause the 7300 yard course to play much closer to a 6900-6800 in true yardage. In a no cut event, with a shorter field make sure to be checking projected ownership and creating lineups with money leftover to create unique lineups.

Note: Editor Ryan McKee is so confident on the picks below he has agreed to take a shot of tequila for every birdie by our fades and every double bogey by our picks.

Picks

Xander Schauffele – $9,400

X-man is known for his success at WGC and no cut events. He has a nice track record here at Club de Golf Chapultepec with two top 20 finishes. He has not had the best finishes as of late, but that is mainly due to issues with his putter. With that being said, he has gained strokes on field in every other category. In the past 5 events X is gaining 6.7 strokes tee to green, 2.6 off the tee, 2.8 on approach and 1.3 around the green. As a top ten golfer in the world, he has the capability to put together some low scores. If he can figure out the putter watch out!

Tommy Fleetwood- $9,200

Tommy is a good play this week heading into his first PGA event of the season. The Englishman is known for his inability to win on tour, but he is too good to not win a PGA event soon and this week could be his breakthrough event. He heads into Mexico in great form with a second and eleventh place finish at his last two Euro Tour events. Since this event has been moved to Mexico, Tommy has taken 2^nd, 14^th and 19^th. Club de Golf Chapultepec will feature Poa greens which is Tommy’s preferred putting surface.

Sergio Garcia- 8,600

The tempered Spaniard is high on our list this week. Serg played great golf last week at the Genesis even though the results don’t show it. He gained 5.9 strokes tee to green, 3.6 off the tee and 1.3 approach. The issue last week was that Serg’s putting was horrendous, losing 4 strokes on the field, which we don’t expect to continue this week. Besides his great stats last week, his course history is what also makes him what makes Serg a quality play this week. He has two top ten finishes here at Club de Golf Chapultepec, taking 6th last year and 7th in 2018. Like many of our other picks we tend to focus on tee to green stats as putters can get hot at any moment. If he sinks a few putts expect him in the mix come Sunday.

Patrick Reed-$8,400

We expect a bounce back week from America’s bad boy of golf. Patrick Reed game is a great fit to succeed here at Chapultepec due to his ability to score on par 4s and course shorter than 7200 yards where he ranks 1st and 12th in the field over his past 24 rounds respectively. Reed has played well in recent WGC events with his past three finishes all in the top 15.

Byeong Hun An $7,400

Daddy An is one of our favorite plays this week at a very reasonable $7,400. The recently new father missed last weeks event due to the birth of his newborn son, but now knows he playing for three. Recent studies show that new father’s strokes gained off the tee increase by an average of 25% due to the extra “Dad strength” they possess. An’s last time out was the Waste Management Open, where he finished in 9th place with his typical great ball striking gaining 2.1 strokes on approach and 2.4 off the tee. An has always struggled with putting, but they say life slows down after the birth of a child and we are hoping the greens slow down too.

Carlos Ortiz – $6,600

With our last pick this week, we are going to our boy Carlos Ortiz. The Mexican sensation did not let us down last week, finishing in 26^th place at the Genesis. Talk about a value play! Although he has never played in a WGC event before, we expect nothing less than another top 25 finish from him. Success at Club de Golf Chapultepec historically is seen through approach shots and putting which Ortiz has been very strong in these areas in recent events. Last week Ortiz gained 1.8 strokes on his approach and 3.4 strokes putting and has gained in both of these key areas in his past five events. Look for Ortiz to be celebrating with his countrymen come Sunday.

Fades

Jon Rahm – $10,400

This week we are staying away from the Spaniard Jon Rahm. Rahm is no doubt one of the premier golfers in this field; with that being said he does not have the best track record here in Mexico. Rahm finished 45th in 2019 and 20th in 2018. Car Rahmrod also finished only in 17th last week while gaining a ridiculous 6.5 strokes putting on the field. He also lost 1.5 strokes on approach and 1.9 around the green. To be succesful at this course you need to be sharp with your irons and right now Rahm is not there. While he is a top golfer in the world there are better options at this price.

Collin Morikawa-$8,500

Much like Jon Rahm, Morikawa is a fantastic youngster with a bright future. He is expected to be a chalk play this week due to his elite approach ability. Morikawa is an easy player to fall in love with and we usually love him too, just not this week. The young gun was a mess around the greens last week losing 1.9 strokes around the greens and 1.3 strokes putting. The issues putting were not just last week either, he lost 4.9 at the Waste Management as well. With the unique elevation changes course history is important and Morikawa doesn’t have any to justify his price and projected ownership. With everyone making the cut, its a nice week to pivot off this chalky play and look elsewhere.